"Caitlin baby give daddy a break will ya?""Dada, da, da.""I'm gonna da, da, da you in a minute get over here."My little princess is nine months going on fifteen. She can't really talk yet but her first word was dada then came mama. I won that fight. She started crawling at six or seven months and all hell broke loose from then on. She gets into everything so I have to watch her every minute that I'm alone with her or I'm afraid she'd hurt herself. Her mother is a little more lax than I when it comes to parenting. She says 'oh she's supposed to do that or don't worry Colt that's normal'. I didn't take shit for granted. In the first three months after I'd started putting her in her crib at night I stood over her to make sure she was breathing right and shit before I went to bed. I spent almost every waking hour worrying about one thing or the other. Anything that could go wrong I tried to head off at the pass. Now realistically I know there are no guarantees in life but I cou
The doorbell rang and I could hear the ruckus going on outside before I reached it. Shit, just what I needed to make my day better. Dad, Drake and Cy were standing there fighting to see who would get inside first. The three of them were a sad sight. Ever since my kid was born there's been a running competition between them as to who was her favorite grandpa. Cyrus had claimed his place as honorary grandpa and he wasn't letting go for nothing. I usually just ignored their dumbasses. Now here they were loaded down with bags. I didn't want to say anything but they were almost as bad as Elena and Tina. Those two were always showing up here with shit."Can I help you?""Hand over the kid and no one gets hurt boy." Dad held out his arms with a big stupid grin on his face. At least he didn't look high he knew the rules.Caitlin was going crazy in my arms her arms and legs going a mile a minute. Her three favorite old guys were here. Her variation of grandpa that sounded more like grap
Women are strange fuckers; that's all I'm saying. She came running into the house like a bat out of hell after hours of shopping, with not one bag in her hand. I started to ask her what the fuck they'd done all day until I got a look at her face. Terror! What the fuck? I automatically went into fight mode until her next words stopped me cold."Colt I think I killed someone.""What the fuck?" I grabbed her to me because she started shaking like a leaf."Baby calm down what the hell happened?"All she did was point back out the door. I passed her the baby who'd woken up less than ten minutes after I put her in her crib and went outside with my heart in my throat. What the fuck did she mean killed someone? My mind was already in clean up mode.Fuck me there was a body under the front wheel of her car. I walked over and knelt down not quite grasping what I was looking at. It was a female that much was obvious from the clothing and the hair. I didn't see any blood but she wasn't movi
"I'll get her." I rolled out of bed and went to get my little princess the next morning. She was making enough racket to raise the damn dead, just like her mother."Hey, hey, hey I'm here, what's with you this morning huh? Did you think daddy left you, huh? Come here beautiful girl." I picked her up out of her crib and laid her on the changing table. She was giving me the stink eye I guess I'd taken too long."Listen you your old man got here in plenty of time so don't you be giving me looks." She giggled when I tickled her belly and started pumping her legs and cooing da, da, at me. Damn if the crew ever knew how teary eyed I got every time my little girl does that I'd never hear the end of it. After I got her all squared away I took her into her lazy ass mother who was still lolling around on the bed. When she sat up to get her breast ready for the feeding I was right there front and center, this was one of my favorite parts of the day the best way to start shit off. My greedy pi
I went out back to my crew because I knew they'd probably be of more help than the cops who I don't trust for shit, not with my wife's life. The boys were hard at work trying to knock shit out before the holidays. There were ten new shiny bikes lined off against the wall waiting for delivery. Since the business had grown so much in such a short period of time I'd had to hire some more help, which in my book was a good thing. Five more men had money in their pockets to take care of their families it's all good."You guys find out anything about that chick from last night yet?""Nope no word on the street about anyone missing and we checked the whole area.""I made some calls to the next town over and there's nothing there either. You guys been checking the news? If she's missing it might be broadcasted." Jared was with me on this I'd told him my suspicions about the whole thing and he wasn't any more jazzed about the situation than I was."Nah I didn't think of that." Maybe becaus
At the hospital I had to jump through hoops to get into her room. The fact that they'd been the ones to call my house with this shit didn't seem to matter. I had to use the pothead's name to get pass the dragon at the desk, she was going on my shit list too. In the room I don't know what I was expecting to find. I had built this person up in my head as some sort of monster, but in the bed all I saw was a young woman who looked harmless enough. She didn't look like she was out to harm anyone and the empty look she turned my way didn't give me anything. Too bad for her whoever she was that my gut was sending off warning bells like a son of a bitch. I put on my 'I give a fuck face' and went farther into the room. Please don't let me strangle this woman in this bed. That's my natural reaction to any danger I sense where my wife is concerned."Hello there I'm Colt, they tell me that you don't remember anything?""Are you my husband?""Fuum no. No, my wife supposedly ran you over on m
I called Drake as soon as I got back in my truck after placing the can in the Ziploc bag I had hidden in my pocket; I came prepared."Drake I've got that chick's fingerprints on a can. Can you do something with it so we can find out who the hell she is?" "How the hell did you do that? Never mind I don't want to know. I'm at your parents, come on over.""What are you doing there, don't you work?""Off-day and Tina is over here doing something or the other with your mom. We didn't tell them about last night though so don't say anything."Shit, I really didn't want to deal with Daniel and his shit. When I got to the house, the three men were in their usual spot, gambling as usual. Dad had his pipe going, as was to be expected, and the place smelt like nothing but weed."Can't you arrest him or something?""It's out of my hands now son, they made it legal.""Dad put that shit out, how can you concentrate on anything when you're always high?""Weed doesn't make you high boy, it ma
Caitlin's fever was all the way down by the time I got back to the house but she was still a little fussy. I put everything else aside and focused on my wife and kid."How is she?" I picked my girl up out of her playpen for a hug."Hey baby how's daddy's big girl?" She laid her little head on my shoulder and hugged. Best fucking feeling in the world I don't care if it makes me a sap."Better, her fever is down and she's not as fussy; how did it go at the hospital any change? Does she remember anything?""Nope, your girls are on it though." I gave her a look for being sneaky but she didn't even have the decency to look embarrassed.She seemed happy enough with the fact that her posse was going to see about the victim though so that was one less worry for me; until she found something else to harass my ass about."I'm making fettuccini and chicken Alfredo for dinner sounds good?" "Sounds great, I'll help you." She was busy sitting on the floor wrapping gifts. She looked relaxed a
"Uncle Hank, can you get me some castor beans?" This kid, she keeps you on your toes; always up to something. Add the fact that she's her dad's carbon copy and well - "Who are you planning to poison little girl?""Who-what? No one, what do you mean? I have to go mommy's calling me. Coming mommy." The little sneak hung up as I grinned.I hung up on my end and called her dad. "Lyon, what did you do to piss off your daughter lately?""Which one? The damn place is crawling with them.""My girl.""Mengele? Nothing why, what did she say?""Well, she's trying to get her hands on castor beans and knowing your kid as I have come to, there can be only one reason for that.""Fuck me, Catalina, get in here." The panic in his voice cracked me the hell up."I'll go and let you take care of that little issue. Call me if she drops any bodies and you need help with clean up. Then again you're pretty good at that shit yourself.""Fuck you, I have to go deal with Hitler's youth catch you later." I hung
They were all set to come to my place because Elena had invited all the women to the surprise shower. Cierra Mancini was in the field and would be coming later than the others.On the way here in differing stages, they got the call that Catalina had been taken and rescued and that Kat had gone into labor.Mancini who wasn't supposed to be here for another day at least had flown out after talking to Jared who'd told him that we had the asshole in our warehouse."I knew that you would kill him and I couldn't let that happen. The cops would've had no choice but to look at you and I can imagine in that position you wouldn't have been thinking straight. We thought it best that one of us take it from there.""We? Who is we?" I looked around at all the men gathered in my backyard."All of us!" Logan answered for all of them, which is pretty much what I suspected.Mancini had made the decision to take point on this one and the others rallied around my family and I while he did his thing. No on
"Uncle Hank, can you get me some castor beans?" This kid, she keeps you on your toes; always up to something. Add the fact that she's her dad's carbon copy and well"Who are you planning to poison little girl?""Who-what? No one, what do you mean? I have to go mommy's calling me. Coming mommy." The little sneak hung up as I grinned.I hung up on my end and called her dad. "Lyon, what did you do to piss off your daughter lately?""Which one? The damn place is crawling with them.""My girl.""Mengele? Nothing why, what did she say?""Well, she's trying to get her hands on castor beans and knowing your kid as I have come to, there can be only one reason for that.""Fuck me, Catalina, get in here." The panic in his voice cracked me the hell up."I'll go and let you take care of that little issue. Call me if she drops any bodies and you need help with clean up. Then again you're pretty good at that shit yourself.""Fuck you, I have to go deal with Hitler's youth catch you later."
They were all set to come to my place because Elena had invited all the women to the surprise shower. Cierra Mancini was in the field and would be coming later than the others.On the way here in differing stages, they got the call that Catalina had been taken and rescued and that Kat had gone into labor.Mancini who wasn't supposed to be here for another day at least had flown out after talking to Jared who'd told him that we had the asshole in our warehouse."I knew that you would kill him and I couldn't let that happen. The cops would've had no choice but to look at you and I can imagine in that position you wouldn't have been thinking straight. We thought it best that one of us take it from there.""We? Who is we?" I looked around at all the men gathered in my backyard."All of us!" Logan answered for all of them, which is pretty much what I suspected.Mancini had made the decision to take point on this one and the others rallied around my family and I while he did his thing.
I woke up the next morning fully rested. My wife was still out so I went to check on my daughters. Catalina was ready for release or so they said, but I checked her over myself.She was her usual pain in the ass self and tried to con me out of some shit so I knew she was okay. I was feeling better until I walked back into Kat's room where she was just waking up and overheard the nurse telling her about her release later that day."Are you out your fucking mind? She just pushed three human beings outta her body. The fuck you mean she can leave in a few hours?""Sir, it's hospital policy""I give a fuck" I stopped myself there because I know she wasn't the one making the rules and it wouldn't be fair to rip into her."Hold him, I just changed him and fed him." I passed Kat the baby. "You can leave now." I sent the nurse from the room before leaving myself. "Colton what're you going to do?""Don't worry about it."I left and headed to the nurse's station. "I need you to make a note
I spent the next seven hours running between the two rooms because Kat wouldn't calm down unless I went to check on our daughter and I was seeing that shit played out on the monitor they had her hooked up to.Every time she panicked her pain level went up, something I was in no way equipped to handle. The whole fucking hospital staff knew how I felt about it because I told them at the top of my lungs.Law called me while I was making my way back to Kat for the tenth time. "What's up buddy? I can't really talk right now I have a situation here.""I know, your boy called us when we were on the road.""We should be there in about an hour but the girls are worried.""You're headed here?""Yes, the shower was this weekend remember? The SEALs are already in flight.""Shit I forgot, I guess I'll see you when you get here. I'll have my mom and mother in law set you guys up.""How're your girls Colt? He didn't""No, I got to her in time. She's sleeping it off right now but Kat's the on
"Colton something's wrong, Catalina didn't get off the bus.""What the fuck are you saying? Where are the others?""Everyone else is here except her.""And they didn't notice that she wasn't on the bus?""They did but the driver refused to stop the bus."I'd already pulled my little gadget. "I'm on it Kat no worrying." I hung up and called for my guys as I headed for my bike.My heart started beating right again when I saw the little red dot that showed me where she was."Someone grabbed my kid let's go." They mounted up and we headed out.There were no other thoughts in my head, only getting to her and dealing with whomever the fuck had taken her. I knew it wasn't anyone we knew, because no one would take one of my kids without me, or their mother knowing.Just who it could be was making me sick in the gut. I clenched my hands around the handlebars and willed myself to breathe. The warmth of my blood turned ice cold. This fuck is dead!I heard my guys talking to me in my hea
I rode up and around them and headed back the way I came with them following close behind. We didn't need to talk; we all knew where we were headed. I got there before they did and opened the security gate.I turned on only the bare bulb overhead light leaving the rest of the room in shadows. I kicked a chair into the middle of the room and waited.They dragged him in kicking and screaming. "Who are you?" He focused on me before I throat chucked his ass and pushed him down on the chair.I opened my little bag of treats and shoved two leaves in his mouth. Mengele wasn't lying that shit worked fast. It started out slow, maybe taking thirty minutes before the first sign of distress."What is that, what did you give me?" He eyed the bag in my hand and asked after I stopped holding his mouth together. "Where's the kid? You tell me that and I'll let you live, you don't, you die."He put up a good fight that dragged on for damn near three hours. That's when the fun really started. He los
I could hardly sleep that night my mind wouldn't let me rest. And maybe that's what saved me from my wife's wrath the next morning.Instead of reaming my ass for leaving her high and dry over the breakfast table, she picked up on the fact that something was bothering me.She reached over and squeezed my hand but instead of giving word to her thoughts just gave me a questioning look.I shook my head and indicated the kids who were trying to out talk each other. "Caitlin put it away." Her hand disappeared lightning fast beneath the table."I was just saying good morning daddy." She's trying to get this kid killed. I seriously tried to find justification for five solid seconds but the little shit hadn't done anything worthy of a gutting. Other than robbing me of my daughter."Not at the table." She's so much her mother's kid she left her chair and came around the table to wrap her arms around my neck. "I'm finished with my breakfast so can I be excused from the table?""Sure, go a